Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The lead up to Christmas has been filled with activities and excitement for the kids. First up was putting up the Christmas tree, both Johnathan and Susannah were eager to help out. Not a real tree this year, they don't last long in the Doha climate.

Then we had the compound Christmas party where Santa made his first appearance. The kids had a great time playing with their compound friends and the parents also enjoyed themselves with good food and company.

After that, there was the Australians and New Zealanders in Qatar (ANZIQ) Christmas party at the Doha rugby club. There were many activities for the kids including an egg and spoon race, sack race and three legged race (David and Monica even gave it a go!). There was also an Australia vs New Zealand tug-of-war where the Australian men demonstrated their awesome strength and snapped the rope twice. Finally, Santa made his second appearance arriving on a golf cart with about 100 kids chasing after him.

On the 18th of December, David and Johnathan started their holidays commencing with the Qatar national day and then Eid. On the first day of the holiday, Johnathan's friend Bethany came around with her parents for a Christmas movie night where we watched "The Polar Express". It had Johnathan sitting on the edge of his seat for much of it.

Then on the 20th, Nanny Helen and Poppy Paul arrived. Johnathan has been beside himself with excitement and having great fun playing with his grandparents (and Susannah is warming up to them as well!)

Last night we went to Christmas Carols at the "Singing Dunes" outside of Doha. It was a very nice evening with several hundred people in attendance. Santa made yet another appearance, receiving guests in his "grotto" (a tent in the desert). A big bonfire was lit and everyone gathered to sing carols - a very unique experience.

We want to take this opportunity to wish all our family and friends a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous 2008. We hope to see many of you next year - wherever in the world it might be...

The Last Two Months...

It has been a long time since the last update, time flies and life is busy as always. A few of the highlights from the last couple of months:



Halloween Party
At the end of October we had a party for all the kids in the compound. All made a great effort at dressing up, played lots of fun games, and went trick or treating afterwards. Needless to say, Johnathan and Susannah were on a long term sugar high!

Out on the Water

In early November we left the kids at home with Dolores for the day and took a trip on one of the dhow boats out to one of the islands near Doha. It was a relaxing day, swimming in the sea, enjoying the sunshine, and indulging in a bbq and few drinks with friends.

Also in November, the Class One powerboat racing came to Doha. It's one of those sports you know nothing about until you just happen across it in a place like Doha. They were awsomely powerful boats, with two 900HP engines typically. Very loud and very fast. Johnathan enjoyed it...

International Day at Johnathan's Kindy
At the end of November, Johnathan's school had an international day. All the kids dressed up in their national costume, took in some typical food from their country, and had a big parade. So, we put Johnathan in a t-shirt with a kangaroo on it and provided some homemade buscuits in the shape of Australia patriotically iced in green and gold!! It turns out that in Johnathan's class there are representatives from South Africa, New Zealand, Denmark, Qatar, Malaysia, Lebanon, Brazil, India, and more. It's quite a mix and a great experience for him.

Weekend in Dubai

Also at the end of November we flew to Dubai for the weekend. What an amazing place! We'd been told that Doha is a bit like Dubai but only around 5 or 10 years behind - we now think it is more like 20 years. It's a very big city which is getting even bigger at a rapid rate (the worlds biggest construction site). We enjoyed our weekend, shopping in the mall of the emirates (with the indoor ski slope), taking in the sights of Dubai, and catching up with Sylvia, a friend from Monica's days with Microsoft in Copenhagen. We will definately be back for more visits, much more to see and do there than here in sleepy Doha...

Johnathan's Sports Day
Yesterday it was sports day at Johnathan's kindy. He participated in many events including target throwing, balance the bean bag on the racquet, obstacle course, running, the long jump, and our favourite, five strides (how far you can go in five steps)!

Susannah is Walking
After nearly two months of dabbling with walking, Susannah finally decided two days ago that it is better than crawling and has taken it up full time. She is very proud of herself!